Figure 1.4 adams/View Coordinate System

2. About Orientation Angles and Rotations

ADAMS/View uses three orientation angles to perform three rotations about the axes of a coordinate system. These rotations can be space-fixed or body-fixed.

• Space-fixed rotation: ADAMS/View applies the rotations about axes that remain in their original orientation.

• Body-fixed rotation: ADAMS/View applies the rotations about axes that move with the body as it rotates. As ADAMS/View applies each rotation to an axis, it produces a new set of axes.

You specify the order in which axes are rotated about as a sequence of three numbers (1,2,3), which correspond to x-, y-, and z-axes, respectively. For example, a rotation order of 313 produces rotations about the z-, then x-, and then y-axis. ADAMS/View provides you with a set of 24 rotation sequences from which to choose. The most commonly used rotation sequence, body 313, is the default sequence.

The right-hand rule defines the direction of positive rotation about each axis.

3. Setting the Default Coordinate System

1) Do one of the following:

• On the Settings menu, select Coordinate System.

• On the Move tool stack, select the Coordinate System tool .

The Coordinate Systems Setting dialog box appears.

2) Select the type of location coordinate systems.

3) Select the type of orientation coordinates and rotation sequence.

4) Select OK.

1.3.2 Setting Units of Measurement

You can set the units that ADAMS/View uses to define dimensions. ADAMS/View comes with a predefined set of units. You can change the system of units you are using any time during the modeling process.

To set the unit of measurement in ADAMS/View:

1) On the Settings menu, select Units. The Units Settings dialog box appears.

2) Select the unit of measurement for each of the dimensions.

3) Select OK.

Units of Measurement in ADAMS/View

The units of measurement that ADAMS/View provides for you are shown in Table 1.2. It also shows the default units used when you start a new session with a new modeling database.

Table 1.2 Standard Units of Measurement

For the dimension:	Its supported units are:	The default unit is:
Length	Meter, Millimeter, Centimeter, Kilometer, Inch, Foot, Mile	Millimeter
Mass	Kilogram, Gram, PoundMass, OunceMass, Slug, KilopoundMass	Kilogram
Force	Newton, KilogramForce, Dyne, PoundForce, OunceForce, KiloNewton, KilopoundForce, MilliNewton	Newton
Time	Second, Minute, Hour, Millisecond	Second
Angle	Radian, Degree	Degree
Frequency	Radians per second, Hertz	Radians per second

1.3.3 Specifying Gravitational Force

You can specify the magnitude and direction of the acceleration of gravity. For each part with mass, the gravitational force produces a point force at its center of mass.

To turn on and specify the gravitational force:

1) Do one of the following:

On the Settings menu, select Gravity.

On the Create Forces tool stack, select the Gravity tool .

The Gravity Settings dialog box appears.

2) Select the Gravity check box to turn on gravity.

3) Set the acceleration of the gravity in the x, y, and z directions with respect to the global coordinate system.

4) Select OK.